1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an image processing apparatus which may be applied to various sorts of image output systems such as a facsimile, a copying machine, and a printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image output apparatuses known as facsimiles, copying machines, and printers are manufactured in composite forms by digitally combining various functions thereof. On the other hand, these image output apparatuses are gradually connectable to networks such as the Internet and an intranet. In addition, data transfer speeds via networks are gradually increased. On the other hand, while hard disks and semiconductor memories are manufactured in low cost and with large storage capacities, better environments may be established under which image data are distributed/stored in relatively easy manners. For instance, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. Hei-11-192760 discloses the following charge amount discounting method. That is, in this disclosed apparatus, with respect to the images outputted on the paper and also the images transmitted by using the networks and the FAX (facsimiles), the images such as advertisement information are added, so that the charge amounts for the users are discounted.
However, in the conventional technique described in the above-explained publication, since the images such as the advertisement information are uniformly added, there is such a possibility that when the image to be outputted by the user corresponds to the black/white image, the color image is added to this black/white image. Normally, there are differences in output speeds in the case that a color image is outputted, whereas a black/white image is outputted. As a consequence, if a color image is added to an input image although a user intends to output a black/white image, then an output speed is lowered due to the added color image. As a result, there is such a risk that productivity is considerably lowered.
Also, generally speaking, in a charging system for calculating a charge amount when an image is outputted, a charge amount shared by a user when a color image is outputted is different from a charge amount shared by the user when a black/white image is outputted. As a consequence, the following problem may occur. That is, even when an image which is outputted by a user corresponds to a black/white image, if an added image corresponds to a color image, then this charging system simply calculates a charge amount for the color image.
Furthermore, the following case may be conceived. In such an output apparatus capable of outputting only a black/white image after a color image has been added to an input image, only such a black/white image is merely outputted. In such a case, in accordance with the conventional technique described in the above-explained publication, the following problems may be conceived. That is, since the image formed for the color image is black/white-converted, certain colors are dropped out, and color differences cannot be discriminated from each other, so that the content of the image cannot be correctly informed.